I actually already did this once. I decided to return to school in my late 40's. Here's why.

My sister had been married for more than 20 years to a great guy. He was witty, with a razor-sharp humor. He was a good dad and husband. Like you hear so often, the good die young. At 46 he developed a brain tumor and he simply could not win that battle.

It made me think long and hard about my life: was I just drifting along? Shouldn't I be making the best of the time I have here, short as it could be?

I had been working at the same employer for 13 years, the underling for a staff of well-educated folks who really did good things for the community. I contributed in my small way, but the death of my brother-in-law and my growing restlessness and boredom with my job encouraged me to look into earning a degree.

I had been, for the past three to four years, the admin to the Public Information Officer of the organization, which was public health-related. I admired her greatly, and still do. She could speak extemporaneously, manage staff, and articulate vision. I wanted to do what she did. So, slowly, I finished up the Associate's degree I had started back in the 70's by taking classes on my lunch hour and after work at the community college across the street from my workplace.

Then, with a deep breath, I applied for university, declaring a major in Journalism with a Public Relations emphasis. I was accepted, and with all the well-wishes and farewells of my co-workers, I leapt into student life in a city seven hours away from "home."

I loved every second of it---even statistics classes! I made the Dean's list every quarter except one, and finished with my degree summa cum laude.

(I could mention that during the summer after my first year I had a complete hip replacement---no slowing me down, though.)

I felt more pride in my accomplishment than for anything else I have ever achieved. I always tell people, "Do it! You CAN do it!" ( I also tell anyone I know who's hobbling around with arthritic hips to have the surgery---no reason to live that way!)

Now, I must confess, since earning my degree, I have not found that "perfect job," the one I dreamed of before launching back into academics. But the country and economy was different then. I am making my way onto a different path of freelance journalism, and that will be just fine.

Moral? If you have the dream, just do it. The path may twist and jog, but once you have that degree, no one can take it away from you.

Just to sidestep any American socio-political point in time, because...well, I get enough of that perspective just living here...I am going to pick the Moulin Rouge in Paris in 1887. This was the period of time when Vincent Van Gogh had moved to Paris and discovered the French Impressionists.

I would have loved to witness the "wild debauchery" AND the new discoveries in the world of art. I would have loved to see firsthand and hear the dramatic exchanges between Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.

The time seems to have been so full of color and intrigue. So lively! Everything in art was changing. It would have been an experience like no other.

I like to visit pedestrian-friendly places, especially those with riverwalks or interesting greenways and walking trails. It's a good way to see a downtown, by walking through the streets, rather than driving through. It's easier to have interaction with the locals, and see what's going on in shops and cafes.

First: Location, location, location. It must have a view of green-ness, maybe some water, like a lake view. Mountains optional.

Second: Lots of double-paned windows with an ability to open them for cross ventilation. Good for view, but eliminating the need for air conditioning which I hate.

Third: A walk-in pantry. Cuts down on the need for cupboards in the kitchen which are usually too high for my stature. And, since my dream home will be in a rural area, I can stock up and cut down on runs to the store.

Fourth: A personal library. I would love it if it was in a small cupola.

Fifth: A sewing room with lots of light and storage.

Sixth: Space for a kitchen garden.

Seventh: Solar power panels (auxiliary power/heating)

Eighth: A bathtub as well as a shower in each of two bathrooms.

Ninth: Hot tub with massage jets out on a deck overlooking that lake view.

Tenth: Just because it's not all just about me---a man cave for the hubs.

As a teenager, I traveled to Europe after graduation. The trip took me to Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), the furthest east point on the trip. Visiting Prague on the hottest day of the summer, I remember the smells on the street. It was a combination of sewage and dark beer, vainly masked by city workers who drove trucks with perfumed water to clean the streets.

Prague is beautiful, though. I fell in love with the architecture, particularly the Astronomical Clock in the center of town. The countryside was pastoral and quaint.

I came from a very small town in the Pacific Northwest, a very white Protestant community. So it was a life-changing journey for me to go so far away and have the chance to see so much history and culture.

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